How to Hook Up a Wireless Router

A wireless router is a network router and an access point; all in one. The most famous brands in this business are D-Link, 3Com, Linksys, Netgear, Microsoft Broadband and others. There are two ways for connecting your wireless router. Automatic Setup Wizard is the easiest configuration technique, when you have the setup CD available with you. In case you don't have the CD, then you need to manually set up the router.

While trying the following setup for your desktop, ensure that you have a Wi-Fi card installed!

Follow the steps mentioned here for automatic setup wizard and manual setup.

1. Unpack the router box; you will have Ethernet network cables, a power adapter and an installation CD.
2. First, connect the router to your system using the network cable. Plug one end of the cable to the Internet/WAN/WLAN-labeled port of the router and the other end to the modem.
3. Now, connect another network cable from your computer to one of the Ethernet ports on the router.
4. Now, connect the power adapter to the router and wait till the indication lights are ON. The general lights are: Power (Red in color), Wireless, Internet and LAN.

5. Insert the setup CD and follow the instructions to complete the installation process. You will need to provide the username and password provided to you by the router manufacturer or you can refer to the table given below.
6. During the process, the setup will ask you to connect your computer to the router on a temporary basis.
7. Once the setup is completed, reboot your system. You can now surf the Internet.

In case you don't have the CD, then you will have to set up the router manually.

1. Follow step number 1 to 4 as mentioned in the automatic setup wizard.
2. Now go to Internet Explorer and type the IP address of the router in the address bar. The default IP address of some of the standard routers are as follows:

3. Once you have entered the IP address, you will be redirected to the router's homepage. You will be prompted to enter the default username and password. A few standard ones are:


* If the given username and passwords do not work, try leaving it empty. It should do the trick.

4. The next step is to connect to the Internet. The router prompts you to select the type of Internet connection and also to enter a username and password. This is the information that is stored in the router that enables you to connect to the Internet, later on.

5. Now, you need to configure a few things:

• First you need to name your network. The default one will be SSID, you need to give it a unique name.

• Next, give a security key. This is to be done to safeguard your network from other users. It is a special encrypted code that is needed every time you wish to connect to the Internet. The Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-shared Key (WPA2-PSK) standard is most recommended and provides security for 802.11g networks.

6. Now, you can disconnect the router and reconnect to the Internet.

Note: When you connect to the Internet for the first time from your laptop, you need to enter the security key that you had provided earlier.

Are you still not able to connect to the Internet? If so, you need to check the following instances.

A. Is your computer connected to a modem?
→ Before installing the wireless router, unplug the network cable connecting the computer and the modem. Replug it in the port labeled Internet, WAN or WLAN on the router. Now, connect the router and the computer using another network cable and then run the setup wizard.

B. Is your computer already connected to any other router?
→ First unplug the network cable connected from your modem to the Internet, WAN or WLAN port of that router. Also, unplug any other cables connected from the old router. Now you can follow the above-mentioned steps to hook up the new router.

• The wireless router also comes with a plastic stand that lets you keep the base station in a vertical position. You should be able to rotate the antenna, so that it is pointed in the right direction, in order to have strong signal in all areas.
• If possible, you should also turn on MAC address filtering. After your network is configured, you should print the network settings, so that they are at hand for future use.
• After installing a driver, always restart your computer.

• Ensure that the Remote Access to the router is disabled. In case it is enabled, anyone connected to your network can change the settings.
• Never share your admin password with unknown people. This may hamper the network security.
• Keep a unique admin password and network name. Always make a note of them.

Wi-Fi will play an important part in the future of Internet. More users are setting up wireless local area networks (WLANs) in their houses. Wi-Fi-enabled devices can be used to access the Internet. Wi-Fi may become even more popular than its competing technology, 3G, which is used for cell phones.